I Will Always Find You
by CupcakeGal
Summary: Four ways Snow White and Prince Charming did not meet...and one way they did.
1. A Shared Sorrow

**I Will Always Find You**

Summary: Four ways Snow White and Prince Charming did not meet...and one way they did.

A/N: This is my first foray into fanfiction in a long while and I hope everyone enjoys these little twists on how our beloved Snowing could have met but for four decisions made. Please review so I know if I'm doing these characters justice :)

Disclaimer: OUAT and all of its characters are the property of ABC...all I own is a fake peridot ring that I may have bought simply because it looks like Snow White's...

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**I. A Shared Sorrow**

"_Do we have a deal?"_

_The young couple glanced at each other, an entire conversation of sorrows and hope passing wordlessly between them. In their arms two infant boys slept peacefully, unaware of the fate the decision about to pass their father's lips would seal._

"_Yes."_

_The stranger clapped gleefully, an unearthly expression of delight lighting his inhuman features._

"_Excellent! Now which babe should it be?" he questioned, finger circling in the air. A lifetime of vague images flashed through his mind, the future possibilities of his choice spiralling in his mind's eye._

_ As his circling finger slowed, it hovered over the boy in the father's arms with menacing intent, ready to choose. But in a small moment of weakness his finger snapped over to the left, alighting upon the child held by the young woman; a flash of memory of a boy crying out for his father as he was pulled into a swirling vortex of magic rendering him incapable of tearing the other boy from the father's arms. _

"_Him."_

Snow crept quietly along the darkened corridor, the hem of her black dress swishing noiselessly over the tiled floor. Behind her, a sliver of light shone through a partially opened door accompanied by the muted sounds of conversations, subdued in nature as befitting the sombre tone of the evening's events. The queen of a neighbouring kingdom had succumbed to illness and the nobility of all the realms had gathered together to pay their respects.

Snow had never before met Queen Ruth but by all accounts she had been a wise and loving ruler, the outpouring of grief among her kingdom's subjects matched only by that of the husband and son she had left behind. It was this permeating sorrow which had caused Snow to escape the main hall, uncomfortably reminded of the still lingering grief she felt every day towards the mother she had barely known.

A soft sound caught her attention and she paused, head tilted to the left as she tried to determine its source. A moment later, she gently pushed open a door on her right as a second noise reached her ears. It was unmistakably the sound of tears, though whomever they belonged to was trying desperately to ease their flow as the accompanying sound of deep breaths echoed in the room.

The space before her was cloaked in shadows, the only illumination provided by the moonlight filtering in through the open doors to the balcony but it was enough for Snow to make out the vague outline of a hunched figure sitting against the far wall, shoulders shaking with every sob.

"Are you alright?"

The figure jerked in surprise, hands coming up to rub furiously at reddened eyes as Snow moved slowly across the room, unable to stay away from someone so obviously in distress.

"I'm fine," came a hoarse young voice tinged with rudeness, "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be in here."

Now standing, the figure became bathed in moonlit and Snow could clearly see the person whose grief she had disturbed was the kingdom's Prince James, his handsome visage unmarred even by the drying tear tracks upon his cheeks. A small flush suffused Snow's cheeks. Her father had kept her relatively sheltered from the young men of their kingdom and even with their redness, the prince's eyes were the brightest blue she had ever seen. Even so, the abruptness of the reply raised her ire and overcame her initial burst of shyness.

"I'm sorry, I did not intend to disturb you," Snow replied stiffly, determined to remain polite, "I heard crying and I only meant to make sure there was no one hurt. I'll leave you in peace."

She spun on her ankle, determined to flee but was stopped by a heavy sigh.

"Wait. I apologise for my manner of address, I should not have spoken to you that way."

Snow slowly turned back around to see a slightly sheepish expression on James' face followed by a spark of something she could not identify as he took in her full countenance for the first time.

"If my mother heard me address a young lady thusly, especially one as lovel...as compassionate as you seem to be, she would have scolded me something fierce," he explained, loss colouring his every word as his sentence trailed away to nothing. His head dropped, partly unwilling to fully show her emotions the mention of his mother had invoked, partly because of his aborted attempt at a compliment.

Her anger quelled by the sincerity of his apology and heart softened by his regard for her beauty, Snow once again approached the prince. This time she stopped mere feet away from him, unsure of how to offer comfort to the hurt young man before her and if he would even accept such a gesture from a stranger. A moment's indecision passed before she drew a deep breath and began to quietly speak.

"I lost my mother when I was very young and though I have no clear memories of her, I still feel her absence every day. The loss of one's parent creates an ache that no other can fill and I am truly sorry that you have to live with that sorrow as I do."

James raised his head questioningly, captivated by Snow's gentle voice.

"But after the sharp sting has faded, I am sure that you will take comfort in the fact as I do that as long as we remember them fondly, our departed loved ones will have never truly left us."

Head tilted down, it took Snow a moment to realise that the prince was staring at her with something akin to awe. Shifting uncomfortably under his scrutiny, she tried to focus anywhere but upon his face but was unable to stop from returning her gaze to his to gauge his reaction to her words.

Silence stretched between them for what seemed like an eternity, two souls connected through an understanding no-one who had not suffered through the same loss would understand and something else, a connection indefinable in its infancy but potent enough to render each of them helpless to its pull.

"Thank you Hope."

James' simple and sincere sentiment echoed in the space between them, their eyes still locked together with an intensity which stole the very breath from Snow's lungs.

"Hope?"

Snow raised an eyebrow in askance at the bestowed name.

"For that is what you have given me, hope that while she may be gone from this world, I will always carry my mother within my heart," James explained, hand coming up to rest against his chest.

"I have a name you know," she replied with amusement, the small smile blooming across her ruby lips concealing the rapid increase of her heart's rhythm at his earnest expression.

"I don't care, Hope suits you."

A grin lit up James' features with his words and in that moment, Snow was sure she would let him call her anything he wanted if meant that she would be able to bask in the glow of his smile every single day for the rest of her life.


	2. Baby, It's Cold Outside

**I Will Always Find You**

Summary: Four ways Snow White and Prince Charming did not meet...and one way they did.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favourited/alerted! I'm glad you seem to be enjoying this so far and I hope this next installment does not disappoint.

As we do not yet know Charming's real name, for the purposes of this story I have decided that before he became James, his name was David. As other Storybrooke characters' names seem to be connected to their fairytale personas, I think this makes sense (if/when we discover his real name, I will most likely come back and edit this as I am a stickler for accuracy!)

Disclaimer: OUAT and all of its characters are the property of ABC...all I own is an unhealthy obsession with a certain blue-eyed actor...

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**II. Baby, It's Cold Outside**

'_Which way?'_

_The young woman stood staring between the two diverging paths, each disappearing into the blank whiteness of the steadily falling snow. Around her the wind howled, tearing at her clothes with such force that she feared they would become nothing more than tatters if she did not find shelter soon. Behind, the sound of her pursuers had faded into the cacophony of nature but she had no doubt they were still there, gaining ground as she wasted precious moments on her decision._

_To her left led the path back towards Red's...somewhere she knew she would always be welcomed but carried the risk that she would lead the Queen's guards directly to her only friend. To her right led the path into a neighbouring kingdom...unknown territory, but the guards would be at as much of a disadvantage as she._

_Closing her eyes, she breathed in deep. Left, right, left, right, left...__**right**__._

_Eyes snapping open, she tugged her cloak closer and after making sure her latest bounty was tucked safely into her belt pouch, headed off into the unknown._

'I should have listened to Mother,' David thought, struggling futilely to see further than a few feet in front of him amidst the heavily falling snow. His mother had begged him not to go wandering into the woods, to wait until the worst of the storm had passed. But four of their flock had escaped when their pen had been damaged by the strong winds and David knew he and his mother could ill-afford to lose sheep at any time, let alone now when they were in serious danger of losing the farm.

Though with his boots sinking ankle deep into the snow with every step and the sun mere minutes away from disappearing completely below the horizon, David could admit to himself that his current quest was fool-hardy at best. Resigning himself to continuing the search in the morning after the storm had calmed, he scanned his immediate area hoping to find somewhere to shelter for the night but the poor visibility made it impossible to distinguish anywhere of value.

Forced to rely on his previous knowledge of his surroundings, he turned in what he believed to be a westerly direction and trudged forwards. If he remembered correctly, the woods gave way to hillsides dotted with caves somewhere ahead, his best chance of finding shelter before he was overcome by darkness. Muscles aching from the cold, he walked for what seemed like miles in the failing light, the storm worsening with every moment that passed until David was sure he would collapse from the strain of fighting the elements. Finally though, the dense canopy of trees thinned out and rocky slopes rose before his tired eyes. Relieved beyond measure, David pressed himself against the rocks for protection from the now howling wind as he felt with outstretched hands in front of him for any openings in the rock face. After a few moments his efforts were rewarded and with an exalted cry he flung his body into a darkened crevice.

Bending to rest his hands on knees, breath coming in exhausted pants he was about to sink to the ground when he was hit squarely from behind with such force that he toppled to the ground. A weight landed on his back in the shape of a person, hands scrabbling to pin him down. Instinctively David rolled to the side, dragging his attacker underneath him while his hands shot out to grab and pin the figure's arms securely above their head.

"Hey! I'm not going to hurt you," he started to explain but was cut off as his attacker brought up one of their knees directly into his stomach, forcing him backwards as he cried out more in surprise than pain. Catching his breath, he quickly rose to ensure he could fend off another attack but was surprised to find the person was now warily standing on the other side of the cave, features lit by the flickering light of a small fire...features which clearly marked her as female, and a beautiful one at that. She had tumbling dark curls, ruby lips and vivid green eyes and David found himself having to catch his breath for an entirely different reason.

"You're a girl!" he blurted in shock, unable to reconcile the thought that a girl had been able to attack him so ferociously.

"Woman," she immediately shot back, hands tensed by her sides. Clad in earth-toned leather and a long green cloak she made an imposing figure as she studied him narrowed eyes. David fought the urge to squirm under the intense stare and instead made sure to maintain contact with her suspicious emerald gaze.

"You're not one of the Queen's men," she stated brusquely after a moment, posture relaxing minutely, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"You attacked me; I should be asking you those questions," David fired back, crossing his arms against his broad chest.

For a moment they both fell silent, the sounds of the storm outside echoing between them before the woman's lips tilted into a small smirk and she nodded her head obligingly.

"Fair enough," she acknowledged, "You can call me...Mary and I don't want anything from you except your reason for being here."

The slight hesitation before she gave her name marked it as obviously false but he allowed it to pass without comment.

"David and all I want is a place to rest for the night, out of the storm's reach."

He paused, wondering whether he should elaborate but decided if 'Mary' was going to keep an air of mystery about her, so would he.

As the woman in question contemplated his answer, a flicker of firelight danced across her face, casting it into an even more stunning sight and David found himself hoping she would not simply refuse and kick him back out into the cold. Not simply because his energy had waned to the point he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle trekking through heavy snow to find another cave, but because from the first moment he'd truly seen her he'd felt an irrational urge to remain close. It was unsettling feeling, one he could not remember having felt before except for small flickers in his younger days when tempted by the charms of young maidens from the nearby village.

Shaking his head to ward off the confusing emotions, he refocused on Mary in time to see her sweep a hand in a mockingly wide gesture across the small expanse of the cave.

"In that case, welcome to my humble abode."


	3. Hear Our Hearts Speak

**I Will Always Find You**

Summary: Four ways Snow White and Prince Charming did not meet...and one way they did.

A/N: Thanks once again to everyone who favourite/alerted/reviewed...seeing new messages in my inbox always makes me smile :) The chapter title comes from the Hopi Indian saying: _To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak._

Disclaimer: OUAT and all of its characters are the property of ABC...all I own is a newly-purchased Snow White wig for a costume party...

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**III. Hear Our Hearts Speak**

_The young girl stared out of the window into the moonlit night, her delicate hands clutching onto the windowsill. She could hardly believe she was finally going to have a mother again, especially one as caring and beautiful as Regina. It was more than she had ever dared to dream and to think, it was all possible because she had lost control of her horse._

_Her eyes slid from the window to the table where her saddle sat, abandoned haphazardly after her scare. In the moment it had happened, she swore she would never ride again but Regina had told her to face her fear, to get back on her horse as soon as possible. _

_Biting her lip, the young girl thought about her chances of escaping the house unseen, the urge to do as Regina suggested itching at her skin. Her father would not be pleased if she went riding unsupervised at this late hour but if she did not go now, she was not sure she would be able to muster the courage to try again later._

_Mind racing, she debated internally for a moments before turning back to the window with a sigh. The chances of her successfully reaching the stables unnoticed were small and she did not wish to worry her father in any way, especially as happy as he was now. Besides, she would feel much better if someone was with her, her soon-to-be stepmother more precisely. Resolved to head to the stables first thing in the morning, the girl climbed into the bed and fell asleep with happy dreams of her family's future swirling in her head. _

"Ella dear!"

Snow wrapped her glove-clad arms around her friend in a tight hug, giggling as she had to lean forward to compensate for the distance the width of their two dresses placed between them.

"I am so happy for you," Snow grinned as she pulled back, smoothing down the lavender silk of her dress skirt, "You are such an inspiration to everyone."

The girl in question blushed, her tiara sparkling in the candlelight.

"All I did was get married," she demurred, before turning to Snow's companion, "King Leopold, I am so glad you were able to come."

The King smiled benevolently, placing a chaste kiss on the back of Ella's outstretched hand.

"If I did not, my daughter would never let me hear the end of it. She considers you one of her closest friends."

"As I do her," Ella replied, turning a brilliant smile towards Snow, "She has been so good to me over the past few months; I do not know whether I would have been able to become accustomed to royal life so quickly without her help and guidance."

Snow was now the one blushing, believing the praise heaped upon her was unnecessary. Ever since she had first met Ella during a visit to this kingdom mere days after Prince Thomas had matched her to her forgotten glass slipper, she had felt a bond of kinship with the bubbly blonde. That bond had only strengthened during their months of correspondence leading up to the wedding, with Snow considering Ella to be the sister she had never had.

"Now, I shall leave you two ladies to talk alone...as long as you both promise to share a dance with me later."

Snow's musings were interrupted by her father's voice, his words bringing a soft smile to her face.

"Of course Father," she replied, quickly followed by Ella, "I would be honoured, Your Highness."

After he took his leave, Snow turned back to her friend with a wicked grin.

"Now where is that new husband of yours? After the display the two of you put on during the ceremony, I was certain that I would need a sword to prise the two of you apart."

"Snow!" Ella gasped, the redness rapidly returning to her face.

Snow just raised her eyebrow, daring Ella to deny her claim. As Ella knew she could not, she simply shook her head at her friend's audacity before raising her eyes to seek out the familiar form of her beloved Thomas. The dancefloor was packed with twirling dancers, but in between the gaps of their graceful movements Ella caught a glimpse of her husband's figure.

"Ah, there he is...over by the wall with Prince James."

_Oh my._

Snow had followed Ella's line of sight to see Thomas in deep conversation with the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes upon.

"_That's_ Prince James?"

She had heard of him...all of the kingdoms had. News of his engagement to Princess Abigail, daughter of King Midas had spread far and wide. However it was the subsequent breaking of that engagement after the Prince had apparently undertaken a quest to restore Abigail's true love to her that had made him the target of much gossip amongst the nobility. Snow had to admit, from the moment she had heard the story she had been intrigued...wondering what kind of man would risk the future prosperity of his kingdom to save his own fiancée's love.

"You're staring."

Snow was startled out of her musings by Ella's amused voice, eyes dropping in embarrassment as she realised she had been openly gawking at the prince.

"Would you like me to introduce you?" Ella asked, a look of speculation crossing her features.

"Yes, no...I don't know," Snow stuttered, the confident young woman undone by the thought of finally meeting a man whose character had been the subject of many a late-night musings.

"Well, it looks like you do not have a choice. They're coming over here."

Snow raised her eyes in panic. Sure enough, Thomas and James were making their way through the crowd, their destination inherently clear from the large smile Thomas was throwing in Ella's direction. Taking a few deep breaths, Snow plastered her most self-assured expression on her face just as the two men came to a halt before them.

Thomas leaned in to place a soft kiss against Ella's cheek, intertwining their hands before he turned to Snow with a welcoming grin.

"It is lovely to see you again Snow," he started, before waving his unoccupied hand in his companion's direction, "Have you met James?"

"You too...and congratulations," she replied, before steeling herself to face the prince head on. The moment their eyes locked she wondered whether that decision was a mistake. He had the most brilliant blue eyes, pools of azure which seemed to peer into her very soul. Her breath faltered and her heart skipped a beat before she regained her composure.

"And no, I have not yet had the pleasure. I'm Snow...Snow White."

She raised her hand toward him, her fingertips shaking imperceptibly.

"James, and the pleasure is all mine."

Her momentary composure deserted her once again as a slow smile crossed the prince's face at his words. With deliberate gentleness, he grasped her offered hand in his and placed a tender kiss upon it. The fleeting feeling of warmth generated by his lips spread tingles up her arm, coming to rest in her rapidly pounding heart.

His eyes remained on her even as he let her hand go and Snow lost all sense of time, wanting nothing more than to remain pinned beneath his hypnotic gaze. Eventually though, a loud burst of laughter to the left jolted her out of their mutual stare. Trying desperately not to blush, she looked to Ella for a distraction only to find that both she and Thomas had disappeared into dancing throng.

"Well, it appears we have been deserted," James commented, Snow relieved to see that his cheeks too were slightly flushed.

"Indeed," she agreed softly, uncertain whether she wanted to kill or hug Ella for leaving her alone with James.

Silence reigned for a moment, before James drew in a deep breath and extended his hand out to her in invitation.

"If our friends do not wish to enjoy our company, then perhaps we can enjoy each other's. Would you do me the honour of a dance, Snow White?"

"I certainly will, Prince James."

Placing her hand daintily in his, happiness flowed through her as he twirled her onto the dancefloor, one last thought crossing her mind before she gave herself over to the music and the feel of his body so close to hers.

_I will give you this dance and every other dance for all of time._


	4. With This Ring and One Way They Did

**I Will Always Find You**

Summary: Four ways Snow White and Prince Charming did not meet...and one way they did.

A/N: Thanks once again to everyone who favourite/alerted/reviewed...this is the last chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it! It's a little bit different, but I won't give away what I mean, you'll just have to read (and if you need any clarification, don't hesitate to ask).

Also, if you need another Snowing fix, I've started posting a new story set in fairytale land exploring how Snow/Charming became the rulers of King George's kingdom, called **'A Kingdom Won'**...please go check it out!

Disclaimer: OUAT and all of its characters are the property of ABC...all I own is a childhood dream to be a Disney princess...

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**IV. With This Ring...**

_The thief sat high up in the tree, camouflaged amongst the foliage. Below her, the tree trunk she'd spent a good hour cutting down blocked the road, setting the trap which would hopefully net her another lot of bounty from the Queen. She had been patiently waiting for any sign of travellers along the Troll Road, passing the time by imagining what she would do when she had finally amassed enough fortune to leave this realm behind. _

_Just as she was about to become lost in thought the sound of horse hooves echoed through the forest, signalling the arrival of her prey. Adjusting her position to see up the road more clearly, she waited until a white carriage came into view, accompanied by knights on horseback. It was unmistakably royal, and the thief grinned as she thought of the gold and jewels it must carry. _

_The carriage slowed to a halt directly under the tree in which she was hiding, exactly as she had planned. As she watched, the carriage door opened and a man, most likely a prince given his attire, stepped out to inspect what had brought them to a stop. The thief prepared to jump down onto the carriage roof, but found herself pausing as she noticed the knights' clothing for the first time. They did not carry the insignia of the Queen, but that of what she vaguely remembered to be a kingdom whose borders shared her own. This gave her pause...up til this point, she had only stolen from the Queen in an effort to maintain some sense of propriety in the life she had been forced into. To steal from others would make her too much of a criminal and went against all that her father had taught her before his untimely demise._

_She debated internally for a moment, her sense of morality against her need to flee from this realm as soon as possible. A shout drew her attention, and she looked down to realise that the prince and his men had discovered that the tree had not fallen due to natural means. Realising that she had missed her chance, the thief slipped quietly away...she would just have to wait for a more suitable target._

_It was a pity though, she thought vaguely...the prince was among the most handsome she had ever seen..._

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David pulled his jacket around himself tighter, trying to ward off the deep chill which marked a typical winter's day in Storybrooke. He nodded politely to those he passed as he walked down the street, offering a smile now and then when he recognised the passerby. With his hand tucked into his pocket, he gently fingered the reason for his decision to brave the elements on his day off.

He had been giving his apartment a long overdue cleaning when he'd stumbled across a jewellery box which he'd inherited when his mother had passed away some years earlier. Upon opening it, his attention had been drawn to the silver and peridot ring which had served as her engagement ring. It was the only piece of jewellery she had never once removed until she had lain on her death bed, when she had placed it in his palm and told him to keep it for his future fiancée, whoever she may be. 'True Love follows this ring,' she'd told him and though part of him had been sceptical, he'd been unable to help but to hope that she was right...but as the years passed with nothing to show for them apart from one failed relationship with an icy blonde named Kathryn, he'd relegated the ring to the jewellery box at the back of his closet.

Upon his rediscovery of it however, he'd felt compelled to examine it once more...and to his dismay, found it tarnished from the years of neglect it had suffered. Feeling somewhat ashamed that he had not taken better care of something which had been so precious to his mother, he'd immediately set out to take it to the town's only jewellery store in the hopes that they would be able to restore it to its former glory.

"Dr Nolan!"

David was drawn from his thoughts by the shout, his eyes lifting to see a young girl grinning up at him, her blonde hair peeking out from beneath a bright blue beanie.

"Henrietta," he greeted once he recognised her as the mayor's daughter, before his brow furrowed as he realised she was alone, "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

Henrietta just giggled in response before pointing down the street, "I'm not alone, I'm with my mom."

David squinted to where she pointed, but could not see the dark-haired figure of Mayor Mills anywhere. However, after a moment he recognised the blonde woman chatting to Dr Hopper on the sidewalk to be Alexandra Swan, the town's new deputy and Henrietta's biological mother. Her arrival in Storybrooke a few weeks before had been the talk of the town, given that visitors to their sleepy little corner of Maine were a rarity.

"Ah," he said in realisation, before he saw that Deputy Swan was now looking up and down the street, obviously searching for her wayward daughter, "I think she's looking for you."

Henrietta glanced back, waving at her mother before leaving David with a "See you later Dr Nolan!" thrown over her shoulder as she ran back up the street.

Shaking his head at her enthusiasm, David continued onwards until he reached his destination, pausing to take in the slightly peeling gold letters spelling out _Small's Jewellers _on the window pane. As he pushed open the door, his entrance was signalled by the tinkling of a tiny bell which caused the two figures standing at the front counter to look up in his direction. One of them was obviously the store owner, the other a female customer who only briefly glanced in David's direction before she quickly whirled back towards the counter.

"I'll be with you in a moment," said the short, rotund man behind the counter, wisps of wiry grey hair falling into his slightly squinted eyes.

David nodded in acknowledgement, letting his eyes roam over the nearby display cases as the man (the Mr Small of the store's name, no doubt) said something quietly to the young woman before disappearing through the beaded entryway at the back of the shop. A few minutes passed as David perused the array of jewellery in silence before a sudden thump made his head jerk towards the counter. The woman had apparently dropped her handbag, its contents spilling out over the carpeted floor. Always one to lend a hand, David quickly approached and knelt down to help the slightly frantic looking woman to gather her things.

"Here, let me help..." David looked up from the pile of items to find himself looking into the most vivid pair of green eyes he had ever seen, framed by a face which his first thought was to describe as angelic, "...you."

He realised he was staring as the woman blushed under his scrutiny, but he could not help himself. It was like she had stepped out of his dreams and he wondered how he could have never crossed paths with her before. He hadn't heard about any more visitors to Storybrooke so she must be a resident...he thought he had already met practically everyone in town, but apparently he had missed meeting the most important. His musings were interrupted the sound of her quiet voice, its tone belying her embarrassment.

"Oh...you don't need..." she started before she realised he had already gathered her things as she'd avoided his gaze and was holding them out to her in his hands, "Um, thank you."

She took them from him, her fingers accidently brushing against his hand which caused tiny sparks of electricity to arch from his skin directly to his heart.

"You're welcome...I'm D..."

"Dr Nolan, I know," she blurted, before a look of mortification crossed her face and she hastily went on to explain.

"I mean, I'm a teacher at Storybrooke Elementary and the kids talk about you all the time, especially after you helped save Timothy's dog and I've seen you getting coffee from Granny's and walking your dog along the path in front of my house and I'll just be quiet now."

David could only blink at the sudden onslaught of words, a warm feeling suffusing his chest at the knowledge that she knew who he was...that she'd taken notice of him even though he had never noticed her before now. But there was one thing he had to correct immediately.

"I was going to say I'm David," he started slowly, his amused grin growing larger as the blush upon her cheeks darkened to the point that she was almost completely scarlet, "And it's nice to meet you...?"

He let the question hang in the air, hoping that she didn't feel too embarrassed to give him her name. A beat passed where it looked like she was going to remain silent, before she let out a little sigh, a small smile lighting up her face in a way which made it all the more beautiful.

"Mary Margaret, my name is Mary Margaret."

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**V. And One Way They Did...**

_The thief sat high up in the tree, camouflaged amongst the foliage. Below her, the tree trunk she'd spent a good hour cutting down blocked the road, setting the trap which would hopefully net her another lot of bounty from the Queen. She had been patiently waiting for any sign of travellers along the Troll Road, passing the time by imagining what she would do when she had finally amassed enough fortune to leave this realm behind. _

_Just as she was about to become lost in thought the sound of horse hooves echoed through the forest, signalling the arrival of her prey. Adjusting her position to see up the road more clearly, she waited until a white carriage came into view, accompanied by knights on horseback. It was unmistakably royal, and the thief grinned as she thought of the gold and jewels it must carry. _

_The carriage slowed to a halt directly under the tree in which she was hiding, exactly as she had planned. As she watched, the carriage door opened and a man, most likely a prince given his attire, stepped out to inspect what had brought them to a stop..._

Snow waited until the attention of the knights and the prince was focused on the tree, before she jumped down from her hiding place, landing on top of the carriage with a thump. Swinging her body downwards, she took a brief moment to peer into the carriage, taking note of the rather annoyed looking princess who she'd heard complaining even from all the way up in the tree but more importantly, the pouch which the prince had left carelessly lying on the seat. With lightening quick moves, she reached in and grabbed the pouch, wincing a little at the princess' loud shriek of surprise.

With her bounty tucked securely into her belt, Snow threw herself into the saddle of the nearest abandoned horse, spurring it into action just as she heard the shouts of the knights growing louder behind her. Racing off down the path, she focused all her energy on pushing her stolen steed as fast as it could go, ever mindful of the sound of another horse being ridden hard behind her. The cries of encouragement from its rider reached her ears, and worry began to settle itself in her heart as she realised that the sounds were becoming ever louder. Just as she was about to twist her head to look, she felt strong arms grab her from the side, throwing her off balance enough to dismount her from the horse and cause her to crash to the ground in an ungainly heap.

Head throbbing, she thrashed around to try and untangle herself from her cloak which had wound its way around her form before she heard an angry voice cry out from above her.

"Show your face you coward!"

A weight settled over her, pinning her to the ground as rough hands pulled the cloak away from her face.

She blinked into the sudden influx of light to see the prince leaning over her, his right fist raised in preparation to strike. A small part of her, a part she had buried beneath a veneer of aloofness, immediately noticed that he was rather handsome, with bright blue eyes that sparkled even under the anger which was clear in his gaze. Anger though, which quickly turned to confusion as he noticed that she was clearly not a man as he had expected.

"You're a...girl."

That word caused her to instantly bristle, and she let a smug grin cross her features as she corrected him.

"Woman."

Snow took advantage of the confusion obviously still running rampant through her captor, her left hand feeling along the ground till she encountered a rock. With as much force as she could muster, she brought it up to strike the side of the prince's face, causing him to fall backwards in surprise and pain. Now free from his grasp, she leaped up and ran towards the horse stopped a few metres up the path, her most-likely bruised ribs protesting as she swung herself up in the saddle.

"You can't hide from me!"

Snow took off down the path once again, leaving the prince to shout after her helplessly.

"Wherever you are, I will find you!"

At his pronouncement, she couldn't help but look back, a teasing smile upon her lips. As she watched, he rubbed a finger across the cut she had given him and a perverse part of her was glad that she had marked him in some way...the same part which whispered within her soul that she hoped he managed to make his promise come true.

_Fin_


End file.
